Page 16 of Vipers and Vendettas
But the alternative to not having money is danger. What if the fae got me, locked me up, and started with the burns and the beatings? What if they did the same to Jellybean? What if the incubi found me and took my baby from me as soon as I’d given birth?
No. These are not options we can live with. I don’t have a choice.
I hang up the phone and look down at my tummy.
‘It’ll be okay,’ I murmur. ‘We’re going to need it, Jellybean.’
ChapterThree
Krase
Iwatch the fight with the detachment that I now give to everything in my life. The opponents in the ring grapple, and one falls to his knees. I don’t even know which one is ours. I couldn’t give less of a shit if I tried.
I down my bitter and grimace, casting a critical eye over the barman, though it's not his fault. If there were any question in my mind over which side of the pond we’re on right now, the frigid temperature of the beer would give it away. I side-eye Jayce and Maddox, who are standing nearby. My brother hasn’t even touched his, and Maddox is nursing a scotch on the rocks. He rarely touches beer anyway unless it’s some artisan concoction his wealthy friends are drinking.
The crowd is going wild over something that’s happened down in the pit, but I can’t even bring myself to glance down at the fight. I take another gulp of my pint. Soon, it’s going to take more than this to quiet Hyde, as Jules called him. He’s angry that she’s gone, that we aren’t doing enough to find her.
What else he believes we could possibly do, I don’t know. While Maddox has stuck with the authorities to find our wayward property, I’ve spoken to my contacts in every supe bar from the Meridian to the Breach. I’ve spoken with every vendor in the fae market. I tortured the one who had our diamonds, but he didn’t know anything except that he’d paid less than market value for them through an intermediary he could only contact via text. I contacted the number, of course, but it was disconnected by the time I did. So, now, against my better judgment and Hyde’s, we wait for her to slip up.
I hope Maddox is right about that fae artifact bringing her out into the open because if it doesn’t, I think Hyde is going to show us all how much of my power he’s been squirreling away. I have no doubt he’s just biding his time. And I’m pretty sure the others know it, too. Turns out Jules’ parting words to me were more prophetic than any of us realized.
I feel Jayce’s worried eyes on me all the time, and I know Iron and Maddox are rarely without their guns on their persons. Daemon, well, I doubt he’d care either way. He’s locked in his own head most of the time, trying to deal with the trauma none of us knew about, I guess. And Axel, I don’t know. He’s retreated into himself completely as well. He leaves the house for days at a time. I guess he’s trying to find her the way I have been, but every time, he comes back a little less like himself. If I were Maddox and Iron, it would be him I’d be worrying about going rogue before me. But what do I know? I’m practically two entities living in one body. I can’t really judge anyone else's state of mind, and Jules’ disappearing act has hit the clan harder than any of us could have anticipated ... except maybe Hyde, who was the first to figure out what she is.
I’ve thought about telling the others, but the truth is, I doubt they’d even believe me. She doesn’t show any of the signs we’ve always looked for. And Maddox and Daemon are so angry with her. What if, in their furies, they turned her in? The fae would kill her.
I watch Maddox knock back another scotch. I’m pretty sure it’s his fifth. Is he trying to get drunk? I approach him slowly, coming to stand next to him as a waiter delivers him another drink.
‘Take it from me, Julian; if you’re trying to get sloshed, you’ll need at least two bottles of the stuff.’
He glances at me with a knowing look. ‘So that’s where all my single malt is going.’
I shrug.
‘You told me you were the same,’ he mutters. ‘If you’re needing to drink that much to keep the beast contained, you aren’t the same at all.’
‘Och! I’m the same as I was last week. You didn’t specify the time frame.’
He chuckles at my words with a small shake of his head and then sobers quickly as he gazes down at the pit. ‘We need to find her soon. Somehow, her presence was helping, wasn’t it?’
‘Aye.’
‘The police have found nothing. Just vague, unconfirmed sightings.’ Maddox’s fists clench. ‘Useless cunts.’
‘We’ve had no luck either,’ I say, scowling when I realize I’ve spoken about myself in plural terms.
Maddox tips his drink down his throat without comment. He doesn’t notice, or he’s just choosing to ignore my blatant mental decline.
‘Let’s hope she emerges from the woodwork tomorrow, then,’ he mutters, putting his empty glass on the table and moving away to join another group watching the fight.
I watch him for a moment before taking another sip of my bitter. I look down at my glass. At least it’s warming up a little in my hands.
‘Are you all right?’
I look up at Jayce. ‘Aye. You?’
He sighs. ‘Bored out of my fucking mind. Anticipating tomorrow. You think she’ll appear?’
I shrug. ‘She better. Not sure what the next step is if she doesn’t.’
